Why Sustainability Leaders Are Supporting The SDGs

Whether we are talking about a company, a nonprofit, or a government, when it comes to sustainability management, an organization must focus on two things:

sustainability performance, and

sustainability communications

To be a leading sustainability organization you need to excel at both performance and communications. Both require strategy, planning, resources, stakeholder engagement, and information, among other things.

Leading sustainability organizations are the ones that have learned how to optimize their limited resources, and use generally accepted standards where possible. They frequently use management systems standards and industry standards to drive performance, and reporting standards such as the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) to drive communications.

But very few of the current sustainability-related standards set specific goals and targets. They talk about the importance of goals and targets, and they provide guidance on assessing materiality and identifying the most relevant issues to the organization and its stakeholders, but goal and target setting is left up to the individual organization.

This results in organizations working in different directions, along different time frames, and sometimes at cross purposes. Opportunities for organizations to collaborate on shared goals are frequently missed.

they provide a set of common goals and targets for all organizations -- companies, nonprofits, and governments to collaborate on to improve their sustainability performance within their shared jurisdiction / region

they provide a common language and vocabulary for discussing the issues and their performance and communicating with their stakeholders

This is illustrated in the diagram below.

Organizations that support and utilize the SDGs will improve their sustainability performance by setting reach goals and targets. They will improve their sustainability communications by using an internationally recognized vocabulary. This will help them move into the upper right hand quadrant, the quadrant of sustainability leadership and positive reputation. This is the quadrant where organizations say what they do and do what they say, in a spirit of continuous improvement, and are respected for it. This is where leading organizations are, and where all organizations should strive to be.

And what are the benefits of demonstrating sustainability leadership and having a positive reputation? You attract customers. You attract capital. You attract and retain talent. You attract innovators. You drive efficiencies and improve productivity. You become more competitive locally, regionally and internationally.

In the end it comes down to this: the SDGs are not just good for the environment and society, they are also very good for the economy. Smart companies and smart governments have figured this out.

So how will the SDGs help your organization, be it a company, a nonprofit, or a government? By providing common goals and language to help you improve your sustainability performance and communication. And if everyone does this, it will result in stronger Canadian organizations and a stronger Canadian economy.

This is what sustainability leadership is all about.

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The sun sets behind power-generating windmill turbines from a wind farm near the eastern German town of Dessau July 27, 2007. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch (GERMANY)

A general overview shows a set of wind turbines near the German capital of Berlin August 12, 2009. REUTERS/Tobias Schwarz (GERMANY)

PRIMM, NV - FEBRUARY 20: The Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System is seen in an aerial view on February 20, 2014 in the Mojave Desert in California near Primm, Nevada. The largest solar thermal power-tower system in the world, owned by NRG Energy, Google and BrightSource Energy, opened last week in the Ivanpah Dry Lake and uses 347,000 computer-controlled mirrors to focus sunlight onto boilers on top of three 459-foot towers, where water is heated to produce steam to power turbines providing power to more than 140,000 California homes. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

PRIMM, NV - FEBRUARY 20: A solar receiver and boiler on top of a tower at the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System are seen in an aerial view on February 20, 2014 in the Mojave Desert in California near Primm, Nevada. The largest solar thermal power-tower system in the world, owned by NRG Energy, Google and BrightSource Energy, opened last week in the Ivanpah Dry Lake and uses 347,000 computer-controlled mirrors to focus sunlight onto boilers on top of three 459-foot towers, where water is heated to produce steam to power turbines providing power to more than 140,000 California homes. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

PRIMM, NV - FEBRUARY 20: The Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System is seen in an aerial view on February 20, 2014 in the Mojave Desert in California near Primm, Nevada. The largest solar thermal power-tower system in the world, owned by NRG Energy, Google and BrightSource Energy, opened last week in the Ivanpah Dry Lake and uses 347,000 computer-controlled mirrors to focus sunlight onto boilers on top of three 459-foot towers, where water is heated to produce steam to power turbines providing power to more than 140,000 California homes. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

** FILE ** A June 6, 2006 aerial file photo of a wind generator plant in the village of Lisewo, northern Poland. The new European Union members hold great potential for solar, wind and biomass power, yet they remain far behind west European countries in adopting renewable energy. Sun-baked Bulgaria, windy Poland and farm-rich Hungary have thousands of megawatts in untapped renewable energy that the European Union wants used to fight global warming. (AP Photo/KFP, Kacper Kowalski) ** zu unserem Korr APD7806 **

An aerial view of the solar mirrors at the Noor 1 Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) plant, some 20km (12.5 miles) outside the central Moroccan town of Ouarzazate on February 4, 2016.
Noor 1 is one of the largest solar plants in the world, which is the first stage of a larger project designed to boost renewable energy production in Morocco. / AFP / FADEL SENNA (Photo credit should read FADEL SENNA/AFP/Getty Images)

A picture taken on February 4, 2016 shows an aerial view of the solar mirrors at the Noor 1 Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) plant, some 20km (12.5 miles) outside the central Moroccan town of Ouarzazate, ahead of its inauguration. / AFP / FADEL SENNA (Photo credit should read FADEL SENNA/AFP/Getty Images)

PRIMM, NV - FEBRUARY 20: The Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System is seen in an aerial view on February 20, 2014 in the Mojave Desert in California near Primm, Nevada. The largest solar thermal power-tower system in the world, owned by NRG Energy, Google and BrightSource Energy, opened last week in the Ivanpah Dry Lake and uses 347,000 computer-controlled mirrors to focus sunlight onto boilers on top of three 459-foot towers, where water is heated to produce steam to power turbines providing power to more than 140,000 California homes. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

PRIMM, NV - FEBRUARY 20: Mirrors at the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System are seen in an aerial view on February 20, 2014 in the Mojave Desert in California near Primm, Nevada. The largest solar thermal power-tower system in the world, owned by NRG Energy, Google and BrightSource Energy, opened last week in the Ivanpah Dry Lake and uses 347,000 computer-controlled mirrors to focus sunlight onto boilers on top of three 459-foot towers, where water is heated to produce steam to power turbines providing power to more than 140,000 California homes. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

PRIMM, NV - FEBRUARY 20: A solar receiver and boiler on top of a tower at the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System are seen in an aerial view on February 20, 2014 in the Mojave Desert in California near Primm, Nevada. The largest solar thermal power-tower system in the world, owned by NRG Energy, Google and BrightSource Energy, opened last week in the Ivanpah Dry Lake and uses 347,000 computer-controlled mirrors to focus sunlight onto boilers on top of three 459-foot towers, where water is heated to produce steam to power turbines providing power to more than 140,000 California homes. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

PRIMM, NV - FEBRUARY 20: Mirrors at the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System are seen in an aerial view on February 20, 2014 in the Mojave Desert in California near Primm, Nevada. The largest solar thermal power-tower system in the world, owned by NRG Energy, Google and BrightSource Energy, opened last week in the Ivanpah Dry Lake and uses 347,000 computer-controlled mirrors to focus sunlight onto boilers on top of three 459-foot towers, where water is heated to produce steam to power turbines providing power to more than 140,000 California homes. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

PRIMM, NV - FEBRUARY 20: The Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System is seen in an aerial view on February 20, 2014 in the Mojave Desert in California near Primm, Nevada. The largest solar thermal power-tower system in the world, owned by NRG Energy, Google and BrightSource Energy, opened last week in the Ivanpah Dry Lake and uses 347,000 computer-controlled mirrors to focus sunlight onto boilers on top of three 459-foot towers, where water is heated to produce steam to power turbines providing power to more than 140,000 California homes. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

PRIMM, NV - FEBRUARY 20: Mirrors at the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System are seen in an aerial view on February 20, 2014 in the Mojave Desert in California near Primm, Nevada. The largest solar thermal power-tower system in the world, owned by NRG Energy, Google and BrightSource Energy, opened last week in the Ivanpah Dry Lake and uses 347,000 computer-controlled mirrors to focus sunlight onto boilers on top of three 459-foot towers, where water is heated to produce steam to power turbines providing power to more than 140,000 California homes. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

PRIMM, NV - FEBRUARY 20: The Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System is seen in an aerial view on February 20, 2014 in the Mojave Desert in California near Primm, Nevada. The largest solar thermal power-tower system in the world, owned by NRG Energy, Google and BrightSource Energy, opened last week in the Ivanpah Dry Lake and uses 347,000 computer-controlled mirrors to focus sunlight onto boilers on top of three 459-foot towers, where water is heated to produce steam to power turbines providing power to more than 140,000 California homes. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Wind turbines sit in the North Sea at the London Array offshore wind farm, a partnership between Dong Energy A/S, E.ON AG and Abu Dhabi-based Masdar, in the Thames Estuary, U.K., on Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2015. The London Array, east of London, has 175 Siemens turbines and a capacity of 630MW. Photographer: Simon Dawson/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Wind turbines sit in the North Sea at the London Array offshore wind farm, a partnership between Dong Energy A/S, E.ON AG and Abu Dhabi-based Masdar, in the Thames Estuary, U.K., on Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2015. The London Array, east of London, has 175 Siemens turbines and a capacity of 630MW. Photographer: Simon Dawson/Bloomberg via Getty Images

BRIESELANG, GERMANY - JULY 06: In this aerial view electricity-producing wind turbines spin at a wind farm on July 6, 2015 near Brieselang, Germany. According to recent statistics renewable energy sources accounted for 33% of the electricity consumed in Germany in the first half of 2015, well ahead of previous predictions set by the federal government. The German government has been actively promoting renewables as Germany disengages itself from nuclear power and previous goals of 35% by 2020 and 40-45% by 2025 now seem well-attainable. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

A wind turbine stands in this aerial photograph taken above the Haengwon Wind Farm in Jeju, South Korea, on Sunday, June 28, 2015. South KoreaÃ¢s 15 trillion won ($13.3 billion) extra budget will channel money to the medical and tourism sectors as the Park administration seeks to cushion the impact of a deadly respiratory disease. Photographer: SeongJoon Cho/Bloomberg via Getty Images

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - FEBRUARY 03: Aerial view of the London Array, an off-shore wind farm in the Thames Estuary in the United Kingdom on February 03, 2014. The world's largest wind farm is a partnership between Dong Energy A/S, E.ON AG and Masdar. Photo by Thomas Trutschel/Photothek via Getty Images)

A picture taken from a helicopter shows wind turbines at the Belwind wind farm, the first renewable electricity central in Belgium, in the Belgian port of Zeebrugge, on December 9, 2010. AFP PHOTO BELGA PHOTO NICOLAS MAETERLINCK (Photo credit should read NICOLAS MAETERLINCK/AFP/Getty Images)